Chasing the Kona dream and a Mai Tai cocktail

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Mon 10th
50min lunchtime easy
Unplanned but needed to get out on the bike to "problem solve" a few work related items, it worked. Kept it very easy with a turbo on that evening.
50min,22km,162w

1hr quality turbo
Session was 7x3min V02 intervals at 115% FTP and 3x1min anaerobic efforts at 140% FTP. First session with new threshold numbers so i increased the intervals and reduced it back to 3mins. Plan will be bring it back to 4mins next week. Call it a soft introduction to new settings;)
7 intervals came and went in 339w,339w,338w,338w,336w,336w335w. The 3x1 at the end 407w,405w and 404w.
Decent enough session and validates the increase in FTP. The effort felt right, tough but manageable.
61mins, 252wAP/285wNPhttp://tpks.ws/ExQv

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Tues 11th - Quality turbo - BG session - 4x9mins
A little tired starting off on this one as it was a long day in work but felt better as the session went on. BG intervals kept controlled around SS, 4 intervals as 255w,256w,260w,264w.
60mins,227wAP,237wNP

Wed 12th - 2hr pre work easy spin
Nice and handy, very low hr for me which i have been noticing a lot on the bike in the last few weeks.
2hrs,182w,51.8kms,134hr

tunney

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

Wed 12th - 2hr pre work easy spin
Nice and handy, very low hr for me which i have been noticing a lot on the bike in the last few weeks.
2hrs,182w,51.8kms,134hr

A low HR during exercise isn't always a good thing. More often than not its a bad thing.

Do you monitor your HRV?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

tunney wrote: »

A low HR during exercise isn't always a good thing. More often than not its a bad thing.

Do you monitor your HRV?

I try do daily but not often the case. My HRV values are actually higher since going single sport so certainly not flagging up any fatigue there with lower HRV values.
The lower hr on the bike has been like that for a good few weeks especially since going single sport.

MojoMaker

By low HR do you mean zone 1-2? How is that load ever bad as a matter of interest?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

MojoMaker wrote: »

By low HR do you mean zone 1-2? How is that load ever bad as a matter of interest?

For reference
123-138 - Z1
138-150 - Z2
150-162 - Z3
162-174 - Z4
174-187 - Z5

So whilst power wise that easy spin was zone 2 it was zone 1 by hr. Normally a good sign but it can be bad as Tunney highlighted. Could be signs of fatigue or possible illness, neither of which apply to me right now based on HRV values and it generally seems to be the case since going single sport on the bike a few months back.

tunney

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

For reference
123-138 - Z1
138-150 - Z2
150-162 - Z3
162-174 - Z4
174-187 - Z5

So whilst power wise that easy spin was zone 2 it was zone 1 by hr. Normally a good sign but it can be bad as Tunney highlighted. Could be signs of fatigue or possible illness, neither of which apply to me right now based on HRV values and it generally seems to be the case since going single sport on the bike a few months back.

Something is wrong then.

Either you HR zones are off. Or your power zones are off.
Or you are sick/overtrained.

Not convinced "going single sport" is the reason.

tunney

tunney wrote: »

Something is wrong then.

Either you HR zones are off. Or your power zones are off.
Or you are sick/overtrained.

Not convinced "going single sport" is the reason.

Or the battery in your chest strap is going

MojoMaker

Got it...bad as in an indicator of something being off rather than it being bad to intentionally train at low HR rates.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

tunney wrote: »

Something is wrong then.

Either you HR zones are off. Or your power zones are off.
Or you are sick/overtrained.

Not convinced "going single sport" is the reason.

Not sick or overtrained, actually feels like I am doing very little being honest.

Power zones I feel are accurate as recently updated, if you are saying they are off based on above z2 power for z1 hr are you suggesting power zones too low?

As for HR *could* possibly be out of date. Using LT or maxhr as the basis for calculating zones it would be a very small adjustment I would imagine. I did not use hr for periods of time and generally for the bike I use it secondary to power.

Guess that leaves the chest strap:pac:

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

MojoMaker wrote: »

Got it...bad as in an indicator of something being off rather than it being bad to intentionally train at low HR rates.

Yes bad as an indicator that something *could* be off. Easy training and training at lower hrs is important. Often people do the easy stuff too hard and somewhere in the middle and don't do the hard stuff hard enough.
I know it's a cliche but it's so true, easy done easy and hard done hard

80% of my training is done easy every week.

zico10

Just curious and not making any comment on it, but did you ever think you worry too much about all these zones, stats, etc.?

tunney

zico10 wrote: »

Just curious and not making any comment on it, but did you ever think you worry too much about all these zones, stats, etc.?

Too soon for jokes about attention to detail not being a bad thing?

zico10

tunney wrote: »

Too soon for jokes about attention to detail not being a bad thing?

Touché

Mr Tango

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

80% of my training is done easy every week.

Dont think u should count sitting on the couch watching the tv as training!!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

zico10 wrote: »

Just curious and not making any comment on it, but did you ever think you worry too much about all these zones, stats, etc.?

I am a data freak by nature, it works in my professional life but does not always transfer well into training and racing. I would have over analysed data in the past but the only data that matters is how you finish or perform in a race.
I tend now not to focus as much on the metrics apart from the quality sessions during the week, my view is that 20% of the hard work is important for further improvements.
The talk about hr metrics was more out of answering a few questions, 80% of the week I don't really look at power or hr whilst out cycling, just out riding my bike!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

As an aside I have formally launched my coaching services. Follow on twitter at @AscentSportsCo, FB page as AscentSportsCoaching or email me for details at AscentSportsCoaching@gmail.com.

Interesting times ahead!

Dory Dory

Congrats!!! If jackyback as a coach is anything like jackyback as a pacer, then there will be a lot of lucky athletes out there under your watchful eye. My very best to you.

Solobally8

Best of luck with it Fran! How exciting!!

Oryx

Brilliant stuff. Best of luck with it.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Thanks folks, web page is up http://ascentsportscoaching.wordpress.com
Get in touch if you are looking to add a bit of structure to your training.

Promise I will get back to logging some training, after all it is a training log;)

RJM85

Best of luck with it!

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Quick catchup on training,

Thurs 13th[/ - Quality turbo - Sweet Spot - 4x15mins
Holding 265w (90% FTP) on the 4 efforts.
1.5hrs, 224wAP/239wNP,48km

Fri 14th - 1hr pre work/post work easy spin
Nice and handy on both although got pissed on more than once!

Sat 15th - 4hr sleepy easy spin
I was out the night previous and only got to bed at 2.30am. Up and rolling at 6.00am with the donkey farmer. I was glad of the coffee & scone stop in Slane bake. Left the donkey farmer after 3hrs and done an 1hr on my own.
3.54,106km,182w,142hravg

Sun 16th - Day off

Week 7
Every session hit for the week, an enjoyable weeks training. Some good consistency in the last 7 weeks, averaging about 12hrs cycling a week and 340kms. Another 15 weeks of similar consistency and i will be happy with that going into race season.
14hrs 04mins
387kms
8,471kj
855tss

BennyMul

best of luck with the venture "Fran the man with the Plan"

Bambaata

All the best with this Fran!

couerdelion

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

averaging about 12hrs cycling a week and 340kms. Another 15 weeks of similar consistency and i will be happy with that going into race season.

Are you going in as an A4 again or upgrading yourself to A3?

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

couerdelion wrote: »

Are you going in as an A4 again or upgrading yourself to A3?

No not wasting any more time racing in A4, its a lottery and frustrating as racing is no negative.
First full season training and racing as a cyclist so if i dont finish the season off as an A2 it will have been a dissapointment.

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Mon 17th
Just commutes done today, it was a long day in the office and the BG session got pushed out as a result.

Tues 18th
30min HC rollers
Half hour to kill at lunch so onto the rollers for 90+rpm of spinning. Man that cadence just does not feel right for me at all.

BG Session - 4x10mins around 92%
Finally have hr and cadence showing up on the same file, wahoo tickr hr which is dual ant+ & BTLE and the wahoo rpm. The 10mins BG felt handy.
Power/HRavg/RPM - 272w/164/49, 272w/166/48, 274w/166/49, 276w/165/49
60mins,235wAP/251wNP,153hravg

Wed 19th
2hr silly o clock pre work spin.
Handy enough, noticed after the BG session last night i was flying up the hills.
Took the long way home that evening for a few extra easy miles in the legs.

Thur 20th
VO2 Session with some z6/z7 work
Session back up to 4mins. 6x4 aiming for 330-340w (115%), 3x1 aiming for 400w (135%) and 3x30 aiming for 500w (170%)
In all honesty this was the most i have struggled on a session since starting Winter training. I just found it tougher than it should have been.
Near binned the session halfway but battled through and dropped the power slightly.

Efforts were 342w,322w, 330w, 328w, 329w, 315w(died) followed by 1mins in 392w, 397w, 402w, these were fine and the 90sec was just enough recovery. Finally 3x30sec in 505w, 512w, 499w, the 30sec was not long enough recovery:P Glad i did not wuss out of the session but i can feel it in the legs this morning, the joys of dragging up your FTP kicking and screaming:) Only 7w off current adjusted FTP so need to have a rethink.
65mins, 256wAP, 288wNP, 157hr max 180hr

Just an easy hour planned later today.

couerdelion

Aliya Wailing Bench wrote: »

No not wasting any more time racing in A4, its a lottery and frustrating as racing is no negative.

Don't be expecting A3 to be too much different.

Good luck though and hope to see you lining up in the A2 races sometime in the season (as I'm waiting for the A4 to start )

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Fri 21st
Easy rollers, HC
Grabbed another half hour on the rollers, kept cadence at 95. Rather comfortable on the rollers now, can cyle with one hand without falling off!
Out and about that evening to collect the new bike, a giant defy which will be the new winter work horse. Great guys at The Bike Station Dundalk, highly recommend them and the coffee!

Sat 22nd
Long spin
This turned out to be an hour longer than it should have been. Plan called for 4hrs and it ended up closer to 5hrs. I tried a new way home and cycled around in a circle, or perhaps a square:p.
In other news don't try drop the donkey farmer on a hill, it turns him into the Hulk and annoys him. Put the hammer down like Billy Big Balls up Tullyesker trying to drop him and show that an A3 can outclimb an A1:o,
Occasionally i would hear nothing and think to myself "he is my b1atch" only to then look under my arm to see him still there. I kept upping the pace every minute or so until the 4th or 5th occurence when i blew a head gasket and he came by and took the KOM jersey (we made one out of a bin bag). That was Billy Big Balls put firmly back in his box.
4.54, 126kms, no PM on the new bike just yet but likely around 200w.

Sun 23rd
Day off, very hungover as we were out with old friends.

Week 8
All sessions bar one threshold hit for the week. Into another recovery week this week before launching into another block of training. Might do a run this evening, that should be funny.
14hrs
381kms
834tss